Ali Khan hosts “Cheap Eats”

Who hasn't been there? You're in a strange city -- be it on a vacation, a business trip or just a stopover -- and you're hungry, but you've got a tight budget. No problem: grab a cheap bite to eat and you're good to go.

But what if you only have $35? And what if that money has to feed you for the whole day -- that's breakfast, lunch, dinner and even an afternoon snack? And what if you're a bit of a foodie who doesn't want to order off of the value menu at a chain restaurant? Impossible, right?

Wrong, apparently, and Ali Khan is out to prove it in his new Cooking Channel show, "Cheap Eats." The six-episode series, which premieres Tuesday, April 19, puts the food blogger in exactly that cash-starved situation. 

Each episode finds him in a new city with only $35 and 12 hours to prove that great food can also have a great price tag. 

In the series premiere, he visits beautiful Austin, Texas, with a craving for local cuisine. Breakfast is an easy one to figure out: migas tacos are a local specialty, and Khan tracks down a roadside stop where he can get a great start to the day without emptying his bank account.

Of course, lunch has to be Texas-style barbecue, and dinner a full-blown bayou experience, with a tasty buttery pastry snack sandwiched in between. It's amazing that he can find that much food -- great food -- for so cheap, but Khan's not one to compromise on quality.

Khan has previously appeared on Food Network in "Grill It With Bobby Flay" and "Best Thing I Ever Made." At the young age of 26, he was made senior editor of BlackBook Magazine's Los Angeles Dining and Nightlife Guide. He's a guy who knows what to eat and where to get it, and in "Cheap Eats," he's finally sharing these tips with TV audiences.

In future episodes, Khan visits Chicago, Boulder and Albuquerque, but everywhere he goes the rules stay the same: $35 and 12 hours to feed himself, and he has to eat well. But first, he has a rumbling stomach and a layover in Austin.

"Cheap Eats" premieres Tuesday, April 19, on Cooking Channel.